1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a tracking menu that tracks a position of a transducer that can be moved by a user and that allows the user to select items locally within the menu and, more particularly, to a menu usable with a stylus-tablet PC that tracks the position of the stylus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A user involved in the graphics industry can be required to switch between tools while performing graphics operations. For example the user may need to switch between paintbrushes or between a pan tool and a zoom tool. In keyboard/mouse based systems the switching can be facilitated by accelerator techniques using a particular key, such as the space bar, to switch between the pan and zoom tools. In systems that have a single channel input device, such as pen-based computers like a stylus/pen for tablet PCs, the user does not typically have access to accelerator techniques that are efficient or easy to use. As a result, the user typically moves from the location of the graphics operation on a tablet PC (personal computer) to a menu or tool palette location, to change tools or select a new tool. These tool palette round trips are time consuming. This problem also arises in related technologies such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), touch based interfaces, digitizer tablets, wall displays and 3D environments that use 6D tracking devices etc.
What is needed is a system that will avoid tool palette round trips for such limited input device systems.